Pierre Spengler mounts four movies based on Humanoids properties

9 May, 2012 | By Mike Goodridge

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran producer Pierre Spengler is heading into Cannes to complete financing on five projects being developed under his Clubdeal Ltd production label.

Based in London, Spengler, whose credits include Palme d’Or winner Underground, Tirza, Suskind and of course the Superman series with Alexander and Ilya Salkind, is in post-production on Red Brazil (Rouge Brésil) based on the novel by Jean-Christophe Rufin about the unsuccessful 16th century attempt by France to conquer Brazil.

Spengler is executive producer on the film which is produced by Nicolas Traube, directed by Sylvain Archambault and stars Stellan Skarsgaard and Joaquim de Almeida.

Meanwhile he is partnered with French production outfit Full House and French comic book publisher Humanoids on three new projects based on Humanoids properties.

I Am Legion is a supernatural thriller set against the background of World War II, which has been written by Richard Stanley (Hardware) and will be directed by Nacho Cerda (The Abandoned). The producers are working with CAA on casting. The film, budgeted in the $12m range, is targeting Romania for its shoot.

The Zombies That Ate The World is a futuristic saga set in a world where zombies walk among us and are relegated to the status of cheap labour. Erik Canuel, who directed Canadian smash Bon Cop, Bad Cop is attached to direct from a script by Michael McKenzie. The film is being structured as a Canadian co-production to shoot in Canada.

Bouncer is a screenplay by legendary cult Chilean film-maker Alejandro Jodorowsky based on his comic book about a one-armed gunslinger.

Full House is the production company run by Didar Dohmeri (of Maneki Films) and Laurent Baudens and Gael Nouaille (of Borsalino Productions). Nouaille also continues to work in a sales and distribution capacity within Wild Bunch. The company produced 7 Days In Havana, the compendium movie directed by, among others, Gaspar Noe, Laurent Cantet and Benicio Del Toro, which is playing in Un Certain Regard.

Humanoids is the comic book imprint run by Fabrice Giger which is celebrated for its comic books and graphic novels by the likes of Jodorowsky, Enki Bilal and Moebius. Giger will also be a producer on the films.

Away from Full House, Spengler is also preparing Miss, a film noir based on the Humanoids graphic novel and set in Harlem in the early 1930s. It follows a white prostitute who teams up with a black pimp to become hitmen for the Mafia. Spike Lee is executive producing the project which is written and will be directed by hot TV director Seith Mann (The Wire, Grey’s Anatomy). Spengler and Giger are producing with Hicham Benkirane.

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